President’s commitment to youth, climate change an inspiration
-what LCDS, Norway Agreement did for Guyana’s image laudable
NEW candidate on the PPP/C list, Shyam Nokta, head of the Office of Climate Change, says President Bharrat Jagdeo has been an inspiration to him and to the young people of Guyana, and he believes that a Donald Ramotar-led government will continue to promote youth development and climate change leadership. “I would like to see us continue the work that has (been) started successfully in the area of youth. [Jagdeo] has given us confidence that we can rise to take on local, national and global challenges, and we can make our mark,” Nokta said in an interview Thursday.
Nokta is an expert in the areas of natural resources management, environment, tourism, and climate change. He said he would like to continue assisting Guyana in moving the Low Carbon Development Strategy (LCDS) forward. “I believe that this will have a transformational effect on our country through the various projects, some of which have already started. In this last term, I worked closely with President Jagdeo on Guyana’s climate change agenda and the LCDS.
“Presidential candidate of the PPP/C, Donald Ramotar, has clearly indicated his commitment for us to build on the LCDS’ successes; so we would want to continue our climate advocacy at the international level, to continue our work in the UNFCCC to ensure that Guyana will be able to play a leading role in helping to shape an international agreement on climate change, but more so on REDD+,” he said.
“As well, I believe we have created a new perception of Guyana internationally, a positive image, and there is much we have to offer.             There are other countries that are reaching out to us to see how we can help them by sharing experiences and provide guidance. This is all testimony to how far we have come in this area of forest and climate change,” he said.
Nokta, who joined the PPP since 1990, said that the successes of Guyana’s climate advocacy are clear for all to see. “The LCDS has received international recognition as one of the most visionary strategies for reconciling the need to have environmental responsibility while at the same time accelerating economic growth,” he said.
The son of former Local Government and Regional Development Minister Harripersaud Nokta, said the LCDS demonstrates that financial resources earned from the sale of climate services will implement projects that will transform the national and local economy, while at the same time allow the country to build resilience and withstand the effects of climate change.
“Through the agreement with Norway, Guyana is one of the first countries to benefit from payment for climate services by deploying its forests,” he said.
This comes at a time when the UN and other agencies are now advocating  a paradigm shift in how development and sustainable resources are approached, he said. “Guyana’s LCDS is offering a practical example of how to do this. We would have completed a process whereby Guyana received two consecutive payments under the Norway agreement. We need to continue with this good performance, and we need to continue to move forward with the implementation of the LCDS projects.
“In my view, this is going to have a transformational effect on not only the national economy, but also the local village economy,” he said.